


Advancing Step

by Starcrossedsky



Series: Bladework [6]
Category: Tales of the Abyss
Genre: Alternate Universe, Political AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2019-01-10 04:04:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12290838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starcrossedsky/pseuds/Starcrossedsky
Summary: As in games, so in war - do not leave the king exposed.And a pawn that isn't watched sufficiently can change the entire board.(Or: In which Sync knows very much whatheis, but does not know his fellow Ion replica very well at all.)





	Advancing Step

The sea outside Chesedonia is blue and window-smooth, a perfect day for sailing. Pity you aren't on it.

Tucked into the shade of a market stall, you watch as Asch separates from the group and immediately proceeds to the ferry to Daath. For a moment you consider following, to shake answers out of him - but _that_ would be pointless. Asch never talks unless he wants to; torture and threats are pointless and he's got a decent sense for trickery.

Besides, if he's on the ferry, he's not going to be anywhere _else_ for at least a day or two. That's good enough for keeping track of him, as far as you're concerned. Plus, it makes the job of tailing the remaining members of the group easier. Now you only have to worry about being spotted by the Necromancer.

And _he's_ distracted worrying about Van, which makes the job even easier. Though...

As much as you snicker behind your mask as the woman in the hat deprives Asch's replica of his money, the fact that Van's sister _also_ notices is a good warning for you. She's also someone you should be keeping an eye on. Stupid. You shouldn't have dismissed her - Asch made some kind of project out of her, after all. You should have figured that she had at least _some_ skill if she attracted his attention.

Why hasn't Van kept a closer eye on her? Normally he's quick to notice anyone who shows real promise and the chance of being converted to his cause. Surely he could manage to persuade his own sister...

...Then again, he did manage to screw things up with Asch, somehow. As much as Van seems to think it will be a simple matter of talking to Asch to get him to come back to the fold, you have your doubts. After all, Asch is entirely Van's student - prone to dedicating himself to something completely, without leaving room for regrets.

_Losing_ him puts the whole plan in jeopardy.

Your eyes fall on the shape in white at the sacred flame's elbow, one hand over his mouth as he giggles politely. _That's_ how to get Asch back under control, you're sure of it. The two of them shouldn't have been allowed to get close, but what's done is done. You can use one to manipulate the other.

Even if dealing with the replica Ion makes you want to retch.

\----

The group stays the night in Chesedonia, which is convenient for you. It means you'll be able to catch up with them again easily in the morning.

You don't wait for Van's approval on the plan. He trusts you enough to allow you autonomy for exactly reasons like this. 

And besides, you'll have to hurry, to catch up with those bandits. They wouldn't stick around long after being so blatantly caught.

You find them a few miles north of the city, camped around some strange fon machine vehicle that seems to work like a smaller version of the land dreadnaughts - at least, you have to assume that's why the bottom third or so of it is faintly water damaged, with the occasional tiny barnacle tucked into a seam. The three bandits are clustered around it, eating a late meal in the dark.

No fire, and a reasonably alert camp - they're not entirely stupid, then. Good, maybe they'll do.

You climb up over their machine, because it's the direction they'll least expect and you're more than capable of it, and drop into the middle of their camp. You keep your hands held up and visible, a gesture of peace.

Even if you don't need a weapon to fight them, and are actually more dangerous empty-handed, it's appearances that count. Sure enough, the woman has reflexively pulled a knife from somewhere, and the taller man is sighting you down - 

Huh, is that a _blowgun_? Haven't seen one of those before, at any rate.

You remain where you are, until the woman addresses you. "And what do you want, boy?"

"You Dark Wings do mercenary jobs for pay, don't you?" you say, casually, ignoring the weapons pointed at you like the meaningless toys they are.

The woman eyes you, glances at her companions, and flicks her knife up. It's no longer pointed at you, but still ready at hand. "Yeah, we do. You want to talk business?"

You feel your lips grow into a smirk beneath your mask. "I certainly do."

\----

Fortunately, the Dark Wings aren't the sort of weird, morally upright bandits who object to a bit of kidnapping. Even if the target is the Fon Master.

Maybe especially if the target is the Fon Master. You do hear one of the men grumbling about 'avoiding the Order' when the three put their heads together to discuss your offer, but they eventually accept, for a third payment up front. That certainly works for you; you were expecting half.

It's not like the money means anything to you, anyway. There's no point in keeping a ton of it around when you don't have anything you'd ever _want_ enough to spend it on.

You direct them to Baticul and take your leave, sprinting back to the city proper in a wild and careless run. Sometimes, on nights like this, when you're alone with just enough obstacles to keep things interesting without slowing you down, you almost feel like - 

The thought is stupid, so you shut it down before it can finish, and you keep running. 

The Malkuth-side guard doesn't even notice you entering the city - he's paid to watch for monsters, not near silent-shapes that scale the city wall by running up it and jumping the last few feet. The guards at the border crossing aren't much better.

Well, they'll have to start paying attention soon. The war is only weeks away.

You slide a report in under Van's window - heavily coded, just in case, should be safe unless the Necromancer gets any length of time with it - and high-tail it back to the Tartarus. As much as you'd prefer to stay and explain things to Van in person, even at the risk of being spotted, even you can't deny needing sleep eventually.

In spite of the cool sea air fanned into your cabin, your nightmares are hot and dry, as always.

\----

Of course, after you get back to the Tartarus and sleep, you have some days of waiting. You're not as impatient as some - after the first time Dist starts screaming about Jade leaving him waiting, you start avoiding the engine room - but it's still _annoying_ to hurry up and wait.

At least you have the excuse of checking on your pet bandits to go ashore for an hour or two each day. Arietta insists on coming with you, officially for the sake of exercising her pets. You'll have to try to avoid her when you actually bring Ion back to the ship.

The night of the fourth day, there's a message at your drop-off point; _Prize obtained. Exchange at noon._

Simple and to the point. You scribble an affirmative and leave to ready the ship. It's about time.

\----

Noon the next day is dark and overbearing with rain. It makes your hair stick slick to your mask, which is harder to see through with the droplets scattered all over it.

You don't need perfect vision to identify the group approaching the exchange point, though. The replica Ion walks placidly between the three bandits, shivering occasionally in the chill rain.

(You're not looking forward to hearing Arietta's complaints about that, when you get back to the ship.)

You can't see for sure, but you think the other replica's eyes widen upon seeing you. Certainly, his posture shifts, a little more closed off and defensive. _Good_. You want him to be nervous. 

He turns and says something, quietly, to the leader of the of the Dark Wings. The rain drowns it out, but not her incredulous response - "What are you _thanking_ me for?"

_Seriously_?

At least he doesn't need prompting to come across and stand between the two guards you brought along with you. You step forward and hand the woman the rest of her money, and the deed is done.

"Pleasure working with you, Boss," she says, shaking the bag briefly before underhanding it to one of her associates to check. 

"Easiest job we've had in a while," the tall man agrees. "Didn't put up a fight or anything."

How typical. 

"We make it a point to not get involved in church business," the woman says, lifting her head to look at the two Oracle Knights in the slightly further distance, "but this didn't turn out too bad. If you decide you need something else done, keep us in mind."

You nod. It's not _likely_ , but there's no reason to ruin a potentially profitable relationship by not making the appropriate polite noises to conclude the deal. "I don't like involving people outside the Order anyway," you say. "Most of them can't handle the job."

(Those are still polite noises, in context, even if you deliver them as brusquely as any order. _Ion's_ kind of polite noises don't suit you. You might even say you hate them.)

"Most Order jobs aren't our business," she says. "Long as whatever infighting you're having - " She looks pointedly at Ion. " - doesn't decide to pick on us, things'll work out fine between you and me." She winks at you, before turning to her companions. "Come on, you two, let's get out of here."

You dismiss them from your mind as they turn back towards their vehicle, and start considering the return to your own, instead. Arietta shouldn't be too difficult to manage; if you play your cards right, she might not even realize Ion is on the ship with her for some time. After all, to her pets, you and he don't smell any different.

It's just a matter of keeping him out of her sight, and Largo should be able to distract her well enough.

Leading the way back to the Tartarus requires you to pass by him, so as much as you would rather not spend any more time on him than you have to, you take a minute to look him over. If his physical condition is poorer than usual, you'll have to take that into account.

It doesn't seem to be. To your aggravation, he inspects you in turn, and whatever he finds there seems to hearten him. His posture gets a little less cringing and he lifts a hand to wipe rain-soaked hair away from his face.

He's probably thinking something obnoxiously naive and optimistic. Best to nip it in the bud before he starts _saying_ it.

"What are you looking at?" you say, putting as much bite into your words as you can manage. "You're not going to find anything by looking that you don't already know."

At least, you have to assume he knows. He can't possibly be that stupid, and even if he was, surely Asch would have told him. 

The smile slips. For a moment, you can see something in the replica Ion underneath all the gentle, programmed personality. He folds his arms as he looks you over again, a gesture you've seen in the past from Asch. Is there anything about him that isn't copied from _someone_?

"I suppose not," he says. "Lead the way, then. I can't imagine you want to hear _my_ thoughts on the matter."

With the way he emphasizes it, it comes close to the way _you_ might have said it. Close, but not quite - there's a restraint in the tone that you don't bother with. The Necromancer, perhaps, it sounds like how he'd phrase things.

Still, it's more backbone than you would have given him credit for. You'll have to adjust your expectations accordingly.

(It's a strange idea, that he would take your desires into consideration, even with that kind of passive-aggression. You don't understand it, but you'll take not having to listen to him run his mouth.)

"You're right about that," you snap, before turning your attention to the guards accompanying you. "We're moving."

They salute, which isn't particularly satisfying, and follow you through the rain.

\----

Of _course_ Asch shows up at the last minute.

Hell, of course the other one shows up at the last minute, too - even if he's far less competent, he's still a copy of Asch. You should have realized they would have the exact same idiot gift for being exactly where you don't want them at any given time.

You never would have expected the replica Ion to intercede on the latter's behalf - a miscalculation that could have been painful if it was someone more martially minded. At the same time, though, it undoubtedly worked to your advantage.

It provides a wide variety of other information, too. You don't miss how Asch backs down immediately after Ion's deal with you; your assessment of who holds his leash now proved all too correct.

Still, something about it bothers you, as you stand beside the hatch as the Tartarus pulls away. Behind you, you can see Asch fall to his knees in a fit of helplessness, until the angle of the hull blocks even that from your sight. You just wish you could put your finger on what it is.

(It's not that the comment of Ion's, implying that you can't open the Daathic seals, has any impact on your mood. Why should it? You already knew that you were a failure. They might have been intended to hurt, but they're nothing but the truth.)

On the other side of the hatch, the replica Ion watches through another porthole just a bit longer than you do. One of his hands hangs just shy of the glass, fingers loosely curled; his robe sleeve, heavy with water, has fallen back almost to his elbow. 

You jerk your gaze away, dismissing him. If he's agreed to play along, then you shouldn't have any worries about needing to have someone keep an eye on him, at least for now.

"Get him to a cell," you tell one of the guards, "with some towels."

The sound of your voice seems to startle Ion back to himself, and he glances down the far hall before pulling his hand in to his chest. "Thank you," he says as you pass.

You snort. Whatever he might think, it's not kindness. He just won't do you any good - for the seals _or_ as a tool for controlling Asch - if he dies on you because of a little thing like rain.

You'll wring every useful thing out of him, and then throw him away.

(Just like Van will do to you.)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm as surprised as you are at how short this one wound up being.
> 
> Not much else to say, really, except that even more so than Forge Sparks, this is the lead-in to Riposte.
> 
> But first, a message from your beloved emperor.


End file.
